van der werth



SePtlZ, 1939. F. VAN DER wERTH 21,172,600

' TOOTH-BRUSH APPLIANGE Filed Dec. 1'7, 1937 Patented sept. 12, 1939 2,172,600

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Toorn-BRUSH APPLIANCE Fred Van der Werth, Oak Park, Ill. Application December 17, 1937, serial Ne. 180,429 s claims. (o1. 15-247) The invention relates to tooth brush appliances jacent the respective end wall I3 of jacket II and and more particularly to an inexpensive disposthe short tab I4 also has a transverse opening I6 able tooth cleaner which may be easily and adjacent its free end. quickly attached to a tooth brush. Although a To assemble for use, the brush handle I'I is 5 tooth brush is the best known instrument to efinserted through the transverse opening E5 in the 5 fectively remove particles of foreign matter from long tab Illa and the jacket II is slipped over the the crevices between the teeth it is inefficient for bristles I8. The short tab I4 then is turned back removing tartar deposits from or for polishing along the bottom of the brush with the projecting the teeth. This is because the bristles are inefend portion I9 of the handle extending through l fective as a buifer or polisher. the transverse opening I5 insaid tab, as best l0 It is, therefore, an object of the invention to shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The free tapered end 2| provide a polishing or buning appliance for a of the tab Ida then is inserted through the opentooth brush, which is inexpensive and which may ing I6 in tab I4 and the tab Ida is drawn tobe disposed of after a single use. wards the end of the handle and is adapted to be l Another object is to provide a tooth polishing held thereagainst by the user to tightly retain the 15 appliance which may be readily and securely atjacket II in place. It is obvious that the aptached to and quickly removed from a tooth pliance may readily be mounted and securely brush. held in place on the tooth brush, the bristles of The foregoing and such other objects of the inwhich serve as a resilient foundation for the vention as will more fully appear hereinafter as fabric jacket, and that after use it may be easily 20 the description proceeds will be more readily and quickly removed and disposed of.

understood from a perusal of the following speci- To prevent tearing of the tabs III-Illa, parcation, reference being had to the accompanyticularly at the openings I5 and I6, it is desirable ing drawing, in which: thata plurality of rows of reinforcing stitches 22 Fig. l is a perspective View showing one embodiextend longitudinally in each tab. 25

ment of the tooth polishing appliance attached In the appliance illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, to a tooth brush. the jacket I I a preferably is formed by folding a Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the appliance fabric strip longitudinally to bring its compleillustrated in Fig. 1. mental edges together and then to sew said edges 3o Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevational View of around one end as at 23 and along one longi- 30 the tooth brush, showing the appliance, in sectudinal edge, as at 24, for a short distance from tion, attached thereto. said sewed end. The unsewed portion of the Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on strip is slit along the fold, as at 25, to provide line 4 4 of Fig- 2. two separate holding or securing tabs 26, which, :i5 Fig. 5 is a perspective View showing a modified if desired, may be Wrapped abOU-t the brush 35 construction. handle.

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view through a The appliance illustrated in Fig. 7 differs from tOOIJh brush Showing the appliance illustrated in that just previously described in that the strip Fig. 5 attached thereto. of material is folded over upon itself inwardly no Fig. 7 is a perspective view of another modied from one end and has its complementa] edges 21 4.0

Contfuctlonturned inwardly and sewed to provide a jacket Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing another "b and a gripping portion 28 modledorm- In Fig. s the jacket llc is formed substentiauy Referring particularly to Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, like that Shown in Fig ,ibut differs from that "i5 of the drawing, the appliance preferably consists of a thm pliable fabric strip suitably out structure in that the jacket extends the entire and folded intermediate its ends to provide a length of the appliance so that the entire. at substantially rectangular jacket I I having inwardleast a greater portion of the tooth brush 1s en' ly disposed corner seams I2. The two end por- Veloped :5o tions of the strip have their side margins folded Although eXemplary embodiments 0f the 1n' 50 inwardly toward each other to provide reinforced Venton have been Shown 1n detall 1n the 300011?" extensions cr tabs I4 and Ma. As sho-wn, the tab pani/ing drawing and specically described 1n 14a is considerably longer than tab Il for a purthe OIegOng deSCIpOIl il? S t0 be uIldeI'SQOd pose to vbe more fully explained hereinafter. A that the disclosures are illustrative rather than 55 transverse .opening I5 is lprovided in each tab ad- `re.Slfrictivrle and that the invention is not intended 55 to be limited thereby except as required by the state of the prior art.

I claim:

1. In combination with a tooth brush, a burnishing appliance including a fabric jacket of a size to fit snugly over the bristles of said brush, a short tab on one end of said jacket, a long tab on the other end of said jacket, said tabs each having an opening adjacent the jacket, one of said openings receiving one end portion of the brush therethrough and the other receiving the handle of said brush therethrough, and the short tab having a second opening adjacent its free end through which the long tab may be threaded, said long tab being adapted to extend along the handle of said brush and be grasped therewith to retain the jacket in place.

2. A tooth cleaner comprising, in combination, a tooth brush including a h-andle having bristles adjacent one end, a jacket for said bristles, a

short tab on one end of said jacket, a long tab on the opposed end, and means in said tabs to coact With said handle and with each other to retain the jacket in place.

3. A tooth cleaner comprising a jacket and holding tabs consisting of a fabric strip of sufcient length and Width to form the jacket and holding tabs, said strip being cut and folded intermediate its ends to provide -a substantially rectangular jacket adapted to be fitted over the bristles of a tooth brush, a short tab extending from one end of said jacket, a long tab extending from the opposed end of said jacket, said tabs each being apertured at their juncture with the jacket to receive the ends of the tooth brush handle therethrough, the short tab being apertured adjacent its free end also to receive the long tab therethrough whereby the jacket is secured in place.

FRED VAN DER WERTH. 

